Big-nameinternational chefs continue to set up shop here with Michael White opening Al Molo in TsimSha Tsui this month. Restaurateur Alan Yau of London’sHakkasan and Wagamama teamed up with Andre Fu to create Bettys, a refined European bistro in theharborside IFC Mall.

HongKongers don’t mind queuing up for their food. … Dinersare literally lining up for Butao Ramen, a cubby-hole of a noodle shop thatserves only 200 bowls of pork-bone soup a day. Ramen shops with cult statushave been opening in China andSingapore as well.

Finally,part of the local-goes-upmarket trend, Cantopop,a collaboration between two NewYork Italian transplants and a HongKong chef, opened in April. It re-imagines the humble cha chaa teng,the city’s take on the coffeeshop. (Think the fabulous 1960’s diners in WongKar Wai’s movies.)

JenniferChen is Travel+ Leisure's Asia correspondent. You can follow her on Twitter at xiaochen6.